Make-up By Billy-Jo

Sunday, 26 February 2012

The Powder which Chanel is promoting with their new foundation launched this year is obviously none other than the Poudre Universelle Libre, or in simpleton talk; "Natural Finish Loose Powder" and its clear to myself why they've promoted it rather than the Mat Lumiere Compact, due to the fact that it it just so luxurious! At this current time I feel incapable of expressing my love for this products as its silkiness and smoothness just sells itself to me. But let's get down to business about the product.

Here's a snap of the Powder.

You can tell by the sheer chunkiness of the container that there's a lot of powder in there, they don't say Chanel is the best for nothing now did they? For £31.50 you get 30g which is a full ounce! This is a total bargain seeing as in MAC Powders you get 10g for around £17 which means your saving around £15 if you by the Chanel, which will last you a long time! Great for Make-up Artist kits too. In terms of Chanel this is shade "20 Claire - Translucent 1" which is about the equivalent to an NC15 -NC2O in MAC shades and probably LP115 in Illamasqua Loose Powders. This range of Natural Finish Powders go right up to the shade "Dore" which seems like an NC35 in MAC Bases.

I can totally understand why the powder is being promoted with the Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Make-Up as it almost offsets the matte finish and gives it a more velvety sheen rather than a totally flat canvas. The best way to apply it is sparingly with a powder brush, little by little goes a long way. In another sense also you could use the big luxurious powder puff it comes with, to roll the powder onto the skin to ensure your complexion stays all day. The only downside I can see with this product is that if you have any dry patches on your skin or particularly around the naso-labial folds you may get a little creasing as anything powdery will cling on to dead skin cells, which isn't flattering at all. But otherwise, total bargain, run out and buy it!

Thursday, 4 August 2011

Illamasqua have recently launched a new foundation to their permanent range and gave it the name "Skin Base" - in the hopes that it will live up to the claims that Illamasqua have put forth, saying that it is a "Skin Realism" foundation, basically in a fools words it means that it looks like skin, I would definitely vouch for Illamasqua and say that Skin Base is has a very satin-esque appearance on the Skin, and after its first Layer can look almost invisible on the skin itself but after the second layer it begins to remind us of Rich Liquid Foundation with the surprising amount of coverage the second layer of the foundation gives to the skin, it is a dream to apply.

I have applied this Foundation, whilst I have had it, with a multitude of brushes some by M.A.C Cosmetics and others are just standard brushes you can find anywhere and even with the fingers, but I feel you get the most out of this foundation when you use it with your fingers because the heat from your fingers which is 37 degrees, warms up the products beautifully and slides across the plane of the skin with such ease it amazes me, but If you want a more flawless application with this foundation it is best applied with a 187 Brush (Large Duo Fibre Stippling Brush) by M.A.C Cosmetics or their smaller version the 188, with both of these brushes having long fine duo-fibred hair each droplet of the foundation is used to perfection and gives and almost pixelated and airbrushed finish giving the skin a more radiant glow, and in the same way another layer would definitely give you an effective amount of coverage for any problem areas, although if you do not blend it thoroughly you will begin to see streaks in the finish which is not at all flattering for the complexion.

Concerning Skin Types however and Suitability For Ages I think that the Skin base is a great all-rounder for any skin type as you may apply it in however many doses you wish because of the sheerness in its first layer, it is fine on my skin in general which is rather Oily as opposed to a normal or dry skin, under powder, something like Studio Fix, or Illamasqua's Loose Powder, this foundation does not budge due to its longevity and skin realism. I do feel that on a more mature skin the Skin Base would not be as nourishing as something like Chanel Prolumiere/Vitalumiere/Liftlumiere which are all fabulous for a dryer more mature skin, but skin base in itself is more comparable to Mat Lumiere by Chanel because it is matte but has a lot of satin shining through when the light disperses itself, although I feel Skin Base has a lot more Coverage than the Chanel Mat Lumiere, due it having a tiny bit less Satin than the Mat Lumiere.

Shade Range is not at all Limited having 18 shades is big for a cosmetic company and Illamasqua have provided us with the facility of lightening our foundation by giving us a shade "SB01" which is a pure white so that we may lighten another shade of Skin Base without affecting it's finish or coverage level, they have also provided us a VERY light Pink Undertone shade called "SB02" which helps you to add a pinkness to a very yellow shade to neutralise the colour (for anyone with mixed undertones)

Price wise it is a good INVESTMENT (£25), for anyone who wants a foundation who is on the go, out and about, or just loves Illamasqua Products, I feel that it has a lot to offer for those of you who prefer coverage on your "Bad Skin Days" - as blemishes and discolouration disappears after the second coat, and dries to a demi-matte finish, and overall I feel it is a great products brought forth to the industry so far.

Click HERE to go to my application of Illamasqua Skin Base
Click HERE to go to the Illamasqua Website and view the product.